Self-gripping adjustable coupling



Oct. 20, 1925.

J. K. BRYANT SELF GRIPPING ADJUSTABLE COUPLING Filed Oct. 22, 1924 Patented Oct. 2%, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JULIAN K. BRYANT, 0F LONVELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO SECURITY ENGI- NEERS, INCORPORATED, 0F LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF I'JIASSA- CEUSETTS.

SELF-GRIPPING ADJUSTABLE COUPLING.

Application filed October 22, 1924. Serial No. 745,262.

T 0 all 1.071077% may concern:

Be it known that l, JULIAN K. BRYANT, a, citizen of the United States, and resident of Lowell, in the county f Middlescx and l itate 0t. lllassachusetts, have invented certain new ano useful Improvements in Selfadjustable Couplings, of which sing is a specification.

This invention relates to mechanisms or devices in which a screw is employed for purposes of adjustment, and the object of the invention is to provide neans whereby, when the screw is adjusted. it or the part or element acted upon by it will reliably retain that adjustment without requiring the employment of any additional agency such as a jam nut. In other words, the adjustment when made will remain permanent until intentionally altered by means of a tool and a considerable amount of tool-actuating force.

The motors of many automobiles such as the Buick, Marmon, Franklin and Bert, employ valves the stems of which are engaged by levers usually referred to as rocker arms, said levers being actuated by reciprocating rods. In order to ensure proper seating of the valves it is essential that provision be made for adjusting the valve-actuating mechanism. lVhile the accompanying; drawings illustrate the invention as applied to or used in connection with a lever or rocker arm such as just referred to, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to such use, as the invention is practically applicable to a wide variety of mechanisms which em ploy adjusting screws.

Of the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the lever or rocker arm and its adjusting member, and portions of other parts.

Figure 2 is a plan view.

Figure 3 represents a section, enlarged, on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 represents a section at a right angle to Figure 3, and omitting the screw member.

Figures 5 and 6 are views similar to Figures 3 and 4 but illustrating the tongue of the rocker arm as smooth-bored instead of threaded.

Similar reference characters indicate sim ilar parts in all of the views.

The element of the combination which couples the rocker arm to the screw comprises a block or blank which is slotted or recessed in one side as at 14 to form a lower part 12 and an upper part 13 connected bv a neck 15. The parts 12, 18, are provided with threaded holes which are not quite in alinement, as best illustrated by Figures 3 and 5. So far as the threaded holes are concerned, the parts 12, 13, are relatively offset laterally so that the threads of said holes are out of uniform continuity in order that said threaded holes will automatically grip the threads of the male screw member presently described. This result may be attained by forming a hole through the parts 12, 13, of the blank while said parts are held distorted, then tapping said hole while said parts are held distorted, and then returning said parts, or permitting them to return, to substantially their original relative positions.

The screw '16, illustrated as having a top recess 17 to be engaged by a suitable adjusting tool, has a foot 18 which fits a socket 19 in the upper end of a rod 20 which, in practice, is usually actuated by a cam. The rocker arm 21, pivotally supported at 22 as usual, has at one end a projection 23 which, for convenience, is referred to as the tongue. Said tongue 23 extends into the recess 14 and has a hole through which the screw 16 passes. Said hole in the tongue may be threaded t0 fitthe thread of the screw as illustrated by Figures 8 and 4, or may be a smooth bored hole large enough to clear the screw threads as illustrated by Figures 4 and 5. The other end of the rocker arm has the usual tappet 24 bearing on the upper end of the stem 25 of a valve. It will be readily understood that this specific structure illustrated and described is intended for use in mechanisms wherein the rod 25 has a c011- stant tendency to rise, as by means of a spring not necessary to illustrate.

Referring to Figures 3 and 5, it will be seen that the threaded holes in the parts or members 12, 13, are not in alinement, the amount of oifsetting being somewhat exaggerated in said figures in the interest of clearness of illustration. The result is that the internal threads of the portion 12 grip both the upper and lower inclined surfaces of the threads of the male member 16 on one side, while the internal threads of the portion 13 grip both the upper and lower inclined surfaces of the threads of the male member on the opposite side. In other suitably formed With fiat side faces. The screw 16 and the rocker arm 21, through which motion is transmitted from the rod 20 to the member 25, will remain in tired relative positions except when i'nanually and forcibly adjusted.

The essential feature of the invention comprises three members one of which is the recessed member having threaded apertures in its portions 12, 18, the threads of: said apertures being out oi uniform or directcontinuity, another being the member 23 in said recess, and the third being the male threaded member 16 engaged with said threaded apertures and automatically or seiit gripped thereby. Therefore it will readily be understood that for some purposes the member 23 might be stationary, the recessed member mounted thereon, and the screw 16 then employed to adjust something engaged thereby.

Having now described my invention, I claim: 7

1. An automatically-gripping adjustabh coupling compr sing a recessed member provided with threaded apertures out of aline-' ment, an intermediate member in said recess and forming a part of the coupling, and a male threaded member engaged with said threaded apertures.

2. Mechanism of the character described, comprising a recessed member provided with threaded apertures out of alinemcnt, a maie threaded member engaged with said threaded apertures, and a movable member tongue entering the recess of the ioncd member, said tongue having an aperture i'or the passage of said male member.

The combination with a member haring internal threads some or which are dis pieced relatively to others, ofa male threaded r ember engaged therewith, and a lever positively engaged with the internally eadedrmember. i

at. The combination with a rocker arm having a tongue at one end, 01 a recessed member mounted on said tongue and having upper and lower threaded apertures out of alinement, and a screw engaged with said threaded apertures and passing through the tongue of the rocker arm.

in testimony whereof I have aliixed my signature.

J ULIAN I. BRYANT. 

